Sycamore Row - John Grisham

Such a conspicuous purchase would naturally lead many to suspect Jake was moving up
at the expense of a dead man.
“Has the topic of a settlement been broached?” the judge asked.
“Yes, briefly,” Jake answered quickly, eager to move away from real estate.
“And?”
“It went nowhere. In his letter to me, Seth Hubbard was explicit in his instructions. I
believe his exact words were, ‘Fight them, Mr. Brigance, to the bitter end. We must
prevail.’ That doesn’t leave much room for settlement negotiations.”
“But Seth Hubbard is dead. This lawsuit he created is not. What will you tell Lettie
Lang when, and if, the jury rules against her and she gets nothing?”
“Lettie Lang is not my client. The estate is, and it’s my job to enforce the terms of the
will that created the estate.”
Judge Atlee nodded as if he agreed, but he did not say so.